New Era Of Defense (HV Weekly: 2/4/22)
Also: exploring why LSU and Texas Tech give up so many threes.
Welcome back to the Hoop Vision Weekly!
We have officially made it into February; time flies when you’re breaking down film.
In today’s edition, we break down the defensive tactic that has swept across the nation and fundamentally changed the way college basketball defenses play.
But first: this week on Hoop Vision PLUS, we had our latest installment of The Starting Five, the weekly feature breaking down five trends, actions, or events from the weekend that stood out to us at Hoop Vision HQ.
This week, a detailed look into National Player of the Year candidate Oscar Tshiebwe. Already racking up 300+ rebounds this season, we looked back at our five favorite:
The “Self Tip” reminiscent of Dennis Rodman
The “Swim and Chase”
“The Ricochet”
“The Box and Grab”
“The Traffic Rebound”
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The Defensive Tactic That Changed Basketball
Earlier this week, I released a brand new video over at the Hoop Vision YouTube channel: The Defensive Tactic that Changed Basketball.
The video originally started out as a breakdown of LSU’s switching defense, but evolved into a more comprehensive look at switching as a whole.
In addition to LSU, the final product also includes analysis of:
2004 NBA Finals (Pistons vs Lakers)
2018 Western Conference Finals (Warriors vs Rockets),
2018 Villanova
2019-2022 Texas Tech
2021 Baylor
Bits and pieces of several other teams and games
The full 16-minute voiceover video is broken up into four main sections and can be viewed below.
The first half of the video was mainly devoted to explaining why teams now switch so many screens. At the five-minute mark, I gave the main reason:
“The simplest reason for why teams switch is to take away three-pointers. Or, to be even more precise, to take away the help and rotations that, in turn, lead to three-pointers.”
But observant viewers might notice: a couple minutes later, I gave some information that appeared to contradict the reasoning laid out above.
LSU and Texas Tech — two defenses that switch nearly every screen — are in the bottom 10 in the country this season in three-point rate.
In other words: they give up a lot of attempts from the behind the arc.
If switching is designed to take away three-pointers, why are the most switch-heavy teams allowing so many?
My answer to that question — particularly for LSU’s scheme — was the triple switch.
Essentially, the Tigers switch defensive assignments so frequently that it becomes its own type of a defensive rotation. “Normal” switching avoids rotations, but extreme switching basically creates a different defensive genre.
All that being said, the triple switching philosophy isn’t the only reason LSU gives up so many threes. The Tigers are currently fifth-to-last in three-point attempt rate. For a defense that extreme, there has to be some other things going on here.
In LSU’s scheme, I’ve identified three additional components that lead to a high rate of opponent three-point attempts.
1] Full-Court Press
The Tigers will pick up full-court and pressure their opponent. More often than not, the press has done a lot of good for them. LSU is number one in the country in steal percentage.
But obviously choosing to extend a defense beyond half court runs a risk of allowing open looks on the back end of the press.
Below, an example of Auburn generating an open three against the press:
As long as the press continues to be disruptive and a turnover generator, the possession like the one above might just be something LSU has to occasionally live with.
2] Post Traps and Help
As described in the video, LSU works hard to avoid a mismatch in the post. If a guard finds himself matched up against a post player, the Tigers will urgently try to switch, to erase that potential mismatch.
However, if the ball does go into the post, LSU usually brings fairly aggressive help. That help doesn’t allow opposing post players to go one-on-one, but it does leave them vulnerable to the three-point shot.
Here’s an example from the Louisiana Tech game where LSU brings help towards Kenneth Lofton before the ball ever even gets in the post.
As a result of that early weak side help from #5 Mwani Wilkinson, Louisiana Tech is able to skip the ball to the corner for a three-point attempt.
3] One-Pass-Away Help
Similar to LSU’s post defense, the Tigers also give help (or stunts) with the defender one-pass-away when guarding dribble drives.
It’s really the same overall concept as #1 and #2, just in a different location on the floor.
Here’s an example of the one-pass away help leading to a made three from Louisiana Tech.
#1 Xavier Pinson swipes at the ball, causing him to lose track of his man that’s fading into the corner.
The triple switch is the main reason why LSU gives up three-pointers within their switches. The three components above, on the other hand, are the main reasons why LSU gives up three-pointers before and after their switches.
LSU starts their possessions with the press — before any potential switches has even occurred. Then the help on drives and post-ups tend to happen at the end of possessions. After the switches have already stalled out the opponent’s regular offense.
Clearly, the three-point line hasn’t hurt LSU’s bottom line so far this season on the defensive end. Even though they are in the middle of losing five out of their last six games — thanks to a very shaky offense — the Tigers still rank number one in the country in kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency.
That’s all for today! As always, follow @hoopvision68 on Twitter for coverage and analysis throughout the week, and please consider supporting Hoop Vision by subscribing to Hoop Vision PLUS: